


Dylan Andrews: The Interview

by AgentGreyNevada



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Gen, Interview, Nerves, University AU, big scary guy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 10:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23349655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentGreyNevada/pseuds/AgentGreyNevada
Summary: Dylan, a sophomore journalism major, must practice conducting an interview with someone she rarely knows. And it's one of the scariest guys on campus.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Dylan Andrews: The Interview

Dylan wasn't normally shy about interviewing students about social, political or campus issues. She considered it part of her personal charm. But this interview would be far different. 

Their journalism professor randomly assigned who they were going to be interviewing for their next assignment - and it was people from his 200 level literature class. Both sets of students were receiving a grade for the assignment so it was equal on both ends. But her partner was scary. 

She did some background research on him prior to their scheduled interview time, as instructed to do by professors in years' past. He was a literature major, friends with the twig of Isaac Gates and rarely used social media. She had to refer to asking around to find out more details about his ominous presence. 

Dylan didn't hear much - he rarely spoke in class, only to contribute to the discussion at hand. He spent most of his days holed up in a library study room, reading book after book and writing reports. He frequented their dining hall, normally ordering food to-go so he could return to his studies. Much of him remained a mystery. Some students questioned when the hell did he even show up at the university. They don't even remember him during freshman year. 

She opened the door to the library and walked inside, quickly looking for room 105 - their designated meeting location for 2pm. She was early by about 5-10 minutes, aiming to give herself some time to ready herself for the short interview she had to give. The whole purpose of the assignment was to get the students used to talking to people they barely know or have nothing in common with. Samuel Ortez did both. 

Dylan found the meeting room and slipped inside to-

"Oh, hello." She croaked out, not expecting to see Sam already sitting there with a book in his hands. His side of the table was prepared for the interview, having the rubric out and ready along with a pencil and a bottle of water. "I wasn't sure what time you would-" 

"It's fine." Sam mumbled under his breath. He had been there since after his 10am class. He figured it would be easier to study and wait in their assigned location than needing to move his stuff when the time came. "Take your time." Sam witnessed Dylan rushing to get everything she needed out and she paused hearing his words. 

"Oh...okay," Dylan then slowed her pace, she didn't want to waste his time waiting for her to get ready. "If I had known you were here sooner-" 

"It's. Fine." Sam grunted under his breath. He frankly didn't see the big deal. He was finishing up a chapter in his book anyway. Dylan's blood ran cold hearing his rather low voice grunting out a statement of ease. _Is he going to give me a bad grade for this?_ Her thoughts began racing, she was always prepared for everything, but Sam seemed to have thrown her off her game. 

"Alright, ready?" Dylan finally took a seat across from Sam at the study table, flipping the pages in her journalism notebook to where her interview questions were scrawled out. She then pulled out her phone and went to 'Voice Memos'. "Are you comfortable with this conversation being recorded for the most accurate of reporting?" 

"Certainly." His answer was simple and short as he placed a bookmark on his page and tucked the book back into his bag. Sam's fingers were folded as he sat up straight. He still had an overbearing presence even when sitting. 

"Alright, then let me introduce myself - I'm Dylan Andrews, a sophomore professional writing major." 

"Sam Ortez, sophomore literature major." He kept his response short and simple as Dylan jotted down his answer onto her notepad. 

"What do you like about your major?" Was the next question Dylan asked. Sam paused, looking to the corner of the room as he thought of his answer. He was rather methodical. 

"I love reading." Sam started. He never really contemplated _why_ he picked his major. It just felt right to him. "I'm not sure." 

"Was it....a feeling? Someone convinced you?" Dylan tried to get more out of the beast but he simply shrugged. 

"I suppose. It felt correct." Dylan sighed silently as she recorded the response. 

"And....your favorite class so far?" Dylan heard him chuckle to himself. 

"Well, if we're talking specifically courses within the major, then my Science Fiction Literature class. Rather interesting, although 'Dune' was a drag to read..." 

"How so? Was it because of the professor or you hated the book?" She finally got the man to talk more than a simple sentence. Sam hummed for a moment, pondering the options Dylan provided. 

"Well, the book was over 700 pages long. Rather tiny print, not easy to read." Sam shifted in his chair. "The professor gave us a timeline of 3 weeks to read the entire book. Now, a lot of students in the class were taking it for their general education requirement, however a couple of us were English/Literature majors, so we had to read this book on top of others from various classes." He paused for a moment. "It was not a pleasant time." 

"But...you liked the book?" 

"It was alright. Not my favorite read. It's the first book that almost got me to SparkNote it. I would like to give it another chance when I'm not pressured by other classes to skim it." Dylan did her best to write down everything she could, but she wasn't entirely worried since the interview was being recorded. 

"And what about general education courses? Your favorite from those?" Sam once again pondered the question, his eyes flickering slightly back and forth as he raked his brain for memories. 

"Hmm...the meteorology class was interesting. I'm no weather buff, however it's intriguing to learn why our weather behaves as such." Sam shrugged. It was definitely a better class than health. 

"Was there a reason behind why you picked it?" Dylan asked, hoping to keep the big guy talking. He shrugged once more. 

"Like I said, I find it interesting." Sam went back to his shortened responses, considering that he already technically gave his answer. Dylan sighed, sensing some unease in the room. She paused the recording on her phone. 

"Is it something I said?" She asked bluntly. Sam blinked a couple of times. 

"...what do you mean?" 

"Was there something I said that made you uncomfortable? Because I'm feeling tension right now." Sam's eyes wandered side to side. Those who knew him personally knew he wasn't much of a talker. 

"I...." Sam had no idea what to say. Unlike Isaac, he wasn't exactly a people person. "...I don't feel this tension." 

"You're giving me short responses!" Dylan was starting to get upset. Sam just kept getting more confused. 

"I...I am a man of few words. Our friends call us polar opposites: Isaac is an embellisher and storyteller, where as I like to be blunt and straight to the point." He explained slowly. It seemed to help Dylan's frustration, but not by much. 

"But for this assignment, I need you to _talk._ It's an interview for fuck's sake." 

"And I did talk." He leaned forward onto his elbows. "What are you going to do when in the field?" 

"Huh?" Dylan wasn't expecting a question in return. 

"When you're doing interviews on the job, and you have an interviewee that is like me, are you going to yell at them? Saying that they are not helping you? It's rather unprofessional." Sam leaned back. If he did learn one thing from Isaac, it was to be not afraid to hurt other people's feelings when being honest. 

Dylan frankly had no clue on how to respond to his statement as he gathered his things. "I unfortunately have class." Sam checked his watch, displaying he had ten minutes to get to Doyle Hall for his British Lit class. "Enjoy the rest of your day." He left Dylan who was completely silenced. She believed she was going to fail the assignment.

* * *

A week after the assignment was due, the professor handed back the rubrics to all the students in the class. Dylan was one of the first to receive theirs, given her name was at the top of the alphabet. As she walked out the door, she skimmed the paper, seeing what grade Sam had given her. 

It was an A. 

_What? I thought he..._ Dylan thought as she turned the paper around to view the comments. It was written in a dark green pen. 

_'Incredibly passionate about her work. Needs to improve on drawing information from interviewees, however shows promise, preparedness and presents self well. I hope to see her on television one day.'_

Dylan hung that comment in her dorm room and kept it with her for the rest of her college career. 


End file.
